{"id":658,"date":"2026-01-03T15:58:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T15:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/658\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T15:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T15:58:07","slug":"anthony-joshua-flies-back-to-uk-after-fatal-nigeria-car-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/658\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Joshua flies back to UK after fatal Nigeria car crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anthony Joshua has flown back to the UK after being involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria<\/a> that killed two of his close friends.<\/p>\n

Joshua, a passenger in the incident, was taken to hospital after the crash on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Monday<\/a>, which was promptly confirmed to have taken two lives. It was not until later in the day that reports suggested the two casualties<\/a> were Joshua\u2019s personal trainer Latif \u201cLatz\u201d Ayodele and strength coach Sina Ghami.<\/p>\n

The former two-time world heavyweight champion, who only sustained minor injuries, was discharged from a Lagos hospital on Wednesday afternoon and initially stayed in Nigeria to recuperate<\/a> before flying back to his homeland.<\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Anthony Joshua was taken to hospital with minor injuries (Social media)<\/p>\n

Prosecutors have charged the vehicle\u2019s driver<\/a>, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, with causing death by dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care, and driving without a valid driver\u2019s licence. The case has been adjourned until 20 January.<\/p>\n

Joshua\u2019s vehicle collided with a truck parked on the side of the expressway, according to Nigeria\u2019s Federal Road Safety Corps.<\/p>\n

They also suggested speeding and an overtake attempt were to blame for the crash, but Ogun state\u2019s police commissioner later told ESPN <\/a>that a burst tyre on Joshua\u2019s vehicle caused the driver to lose control and \u201cswerve into the stationary truck parked along the road\u201d.<\/p>\n

Video footage from the aftermath of the crash shows Joshua sitting in his mangled SUV, appearing dazed and in pain. Ayodele and Ghami were pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n

Matchroom, which promotes 36-year-old Joshua, and 258 MGT, his management company shared a joint statement: \u201cWith profound sadness, it has been confirmed that two close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, have tragically passed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatchroom Boxing and 258 BXG can confirm that Anthony sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment. He is in a stable condition and will remain there for observation.<\/p>\n

\"Latif<\/p>\n

Latif \u2018Latz\u2019 Ayodele (right) and Sina Ghami (left), who both died in the crash, are pictured alongside Joshua (Instagram)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur deepest condolences and prayers are with the families and friends of all those affected \u2013 and we ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time. No further comment will be made at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crash came just 10 days after Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a fight in Miami.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Briton beat Paul in six rounds in his first fight since a knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois in September 2024. It was his 29th win from 33 professional fights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anthony Joshua has flown back to the UK after being involved in a fatal car crash in Nigeria…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[894,498,920,922,923,925,122,921,924],"class_list":{"0":"post-658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nigeria","8":"tag-adeniyi-mobolaji-kayode","9":"tag-anthony-joshua","10":"tag-fatal-car-crash","11":"tag-latif-latz-ayodele","12":"tag-latif-ayodele","13":"tag-minor-injuries","14":"tag-nigeria","15":"tag-sina-ghami","16":"tag-world-heavyweight-champion"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}